USA TODAY International Edition
A weekend of diverse people and projects
The Marvel Cinematic Universe just became a bigger and more diverse place.
Over the weekend at ComicCon, Brie Larson was announced as the title character of the upcoming Captain Marvel film ( in theaters March 8, 2019), Marvel Studios’ first female superhero project. Marvel’s efforts to expand its scope were also on display with the impressive cast for
Black Panther ( Feb. 16, 2018), which focuses on the black superhero played by Chadwick Boseman, and the multicultural classmates of Tom Holland’s teen Peter Parker in Homecoming Spider- Man:
( July 7). “This universe appeals to a younger audience, ( and) we’re giving them more accurate depictions of life around them,” says Zoe Saldana, who returns as Gamora in Guardians of the Gal
axy Vol. 2 ( May 5). “It makes you feel like you’re not alone.”
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige figures it’s about time: “It really feels like this is absolutely what has to happen and continue.”
SUPER- DIRECTORS
Ben Affleck took the stage at Comic- Con for the first time as both superhero actor and director.
The man under the Dark Knight’s cowl in the upcoming Justice League movie ( Nov. 17, 2017) stepped out with his fellow filmmakers in the DC Films universe at a Warner Bros. panel.
“This is kind of nerdy, but this is a big deal in my life,” the star of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice told the crowd as he took a picture of the 6,500 cheering fans.
Director Patty Jenkins appeared for her Wonder Woman movie ( June 2), a World War I period piece with Gal Gadot as the iconic superheroine. The 1978 Superman starring Christopher Reeve “made me have an experience that I’d never had before. I cried for Superman, I wanted to be Superman, I wanted to be good,” said Jenkins, adding that now, as an adult, Wonder Woman is her favorite: “It is overdue, but it also feels like the best time to make this movie.”
Director Rick Famuyiwa marked his first Comic- Con by telling the audience how his Flash movie ( March 16, 2018), starring Ezra Miller, will bring the Scarlet Speedster to the big screen in a new way. “I had to pull out my Flash Underoos from back in the day. I know there are a lot of Underoos on right now.”
VISITING ‘ RIVERDALE’
Archie Andrews has more on his mind than just Betty and Veronica in Riverdale, CW’s midseason take on the redheaded comicbook character.
Archie ( KJ Apa) still can’t decide between the two love interests. But a mystery surrounding the death of a local teen provides a Twin Peaks- style twist for Riverdale, which features an eye- catching young cast — picture Archie with abs and a sexy, twentysomething Ms. Grundy — that would have made CW predecessor WB proud.
“The show is going to be a lot darker than what you’d expect ( but) still pretty humorous,” Apa tells USA TODAY.
The small- screen makeover echoes one in the comic books, where updated characters, in addition to the traditional ones, give the 75- year- old franchise a contemporary feel. Executive producers include Roberto Aguirre- Sacasa, chief creative officer of Archie Comics, and Greg Berlanti, who has enjoyed substantial success bringing comic- book characters to TV
Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow).
Riverdale remains faithful to the Archie canon, with familiar characters and places, including Pop Tate’s Chocklit Shoppe. But a surreal current runs through the small town, and the death of Riverdale High student Jason Blossom reveals underlying fissures.
It’s called Riverdale “because it’s about everyone who lives in that town, the way Twin Peaks is about everyone who lives in that town,” Aguirre- Sacasa says.
Girl- next- door Betty Cooper ( Lili Reinhart) and rich girl Veronica Lodge ( Camila Mendes) remain potential love interests, but Archie is distracted by another romantic partner, music teacher Geraldine Grundy ( Sarah Habel).
By season’s end, “Archie possibly makes his mind up between ( Betty and Veronica). But who knows how long it’s going to last?” Apa says. “He’s really indecisive with most things.”
NEW ‘ STAR TREK’ SHIP SAILS
Enterprise, say hello to your new shipmate.
The USS Discovery took off at the end of a Star Trek 50th anniversary panel featuring veterans of multiple Trek TV series, including the original Captain Kirk, William Shatner. A clip revealed the new ship and also the title of the new streaming series Star Trek Discovery, which will premiere on the CBS broadcast network in January with subsequent episodes on CBS All Access.
Executive producer Bryan Fuller suggests the new series will be more serialized than its predecessors. “We’re telling stories like a novel, chapter by chapter.”
He emphasized that Discovery would connect to late Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s vision of an inclusive, peaceful future.
“It has always been an intimate adventure, the adventure of mankind,” he says. “It has to continue to be progressive, continue to push boundaries.”